Guardian
by Chakat StarDust
Summary: During a trip to a nobleman's house, Prince Atem finds a wolf that is being used as entertainment is really a human boy who can change his shape. Prince Atem liberates the boy and slowly falls in love as he teaches the boy how to be human again
1. Chapter 1

Star: New story! I own nothing but the plot, enjoy!

Atem didn't like Lord Anum. Maybe it was the way his eyes lingered on the servant girls who served them dinner, maybe it was the fact that his servants all looked underfed even though he knew Lord Anum had many riches, or maybe it was the fact that his eyes held cruelty in them, but whatever it was, he didn't like Lord Anum. Nor did he like his bullying pig of a son.

Case in point, dinner. The pig and his fellow lordlings were teasing a skinny, timid dog with offers of food. Except, every time the dog got brave enough to try and take the food, one of them would smack it across the nose, sending it yelping backwards, tail between its legs. Atem decided that enough was enough.

"Come here boy." He called out, holding out a bit of meat to the dog. The big black ears with their reddish tips pricked forward. The dog whined softly, shuffling his paws and tucking his tail right up against his belly. "Come on." Atem coaxed, voice gentle. The dog creeped forward, ears down and belly right against the ground.

Atem saw one of the lordlings raise his hand. "Don't bother." He growled sternly.

"The beast isn't allowed to be in here." The lordling sneered.

"I say he is. Will you challenge my authority?" Atem demanded, brilliant red eyes flashing. One by one the lordlings looked away, muttering to themselves petulantly. He felt a nudge at his fingertips and looked down into the most unusual eyes he'd ever seen on beast or man. Bright violet they were, currently filled with fear and begging.

He fed the dog small scraps of meat and bread and even fruit, heart squeezing at the way the beast gobbled everything up so quickly. He scratched behind a soft ear and touched the little splash of yellow on the end of the dog's nose, earning himself a timid wag of a tail. The dog rested his head on Atem's knee and Atem realized the beast looked more wolf than dog.

When the dinner was over the timid, skinny dog skittered away, disappearing from the room. Atem could see some of the lordlings eying him angrily, but what could they do? He was the crown prince of Egypt, if they did anything to him, it would be treason.

He should have known better than to be smug. He should have known that bullies, when unable to take out their rage on the person they wanted, would find some other scapegoat. He heard the pitiful cries from his bedroom that night, and couldn't stop himself from going out on the balcony to see.

The poor half-starve wolf that he had fed was being mauled by a bigger, blockier, stronger beast of a dog, while the lordlings crowded around, laughing at the spectacle. Rage burned through Atem and he took his long knife and stalked downstairs. The lordlings stopped laughing when they spotted him and cowered, frightened by the rage in his eyes.

"Get that beast away from that poor animal." He snarled. "Or I will kill it." One of the lordlings grabbed the monster, pulling it snarling and frothing away from the poor skinny wolf, who was wavering unsteadily on three paws, whining pitifully.

"Since you do not seem to want this dog, I shall take it from your hands, do you have any objections?" No one said anything, most likely too afraid of his wrath. He stalked over to his new pet, getting to him just as he collapsed in a heap, whimpering in pain. There were blood spatters all over the ground around him, a good chunk taken out of the poor beast's shoulder, raw and bleeding.

He knelt, gently running his hands over the wolf's head, hearing his tail thump against the ground. Atem murmured softly and scratched behind the beast's ears. He felt the heavy collar around the wolf's neck and decided it needed to come off.

"No, don't!" Someone shouted as he pulled the collar off. The wolf shuddered, eyes going wide for an instant before he seemed to shrink and his fur disappeared until all that was left was a naked boy with bright violet eyes resting in Atem's lap.

"What in the gods' names?" Atem snarled at the assembled lordlings, who looked even more nervous than before.

"Atem." His father's voice, deep, measured, calm. "Take the boy to see the healer, I shall deal with this." Atem nodded and lifted the boy into his arms, standing with him. It was even more clear when he was like this the starvation he was suffering from. It burned him even more, knowing that they had known that they were hurting another human being, and that they hadn't cared.

The healer was a kind old man and was absolutely appalled by the state of the boy. Atem didn't tell him that the boy had been a wolf. It seemed prudent to keep that bit of information to himself. The boy's wounds were not life-threatening, but they were painful, and he had already lost a lot of blood. The boy nuzzled his hand and passed out not long after the examination was done.

Atem carried the boy to his chambers and laid him down on his own bed, unmindful of the dirty state of him. He looked at the boy, who at first glance could have been his twin. Closer inspection revealed only blonde bangs in his black, red-tipped hair, no streaks of gold arching up through the black spikes. His face was rounder, childish almost and his skin pale as milk.

"Atem?" He turned to his father's voice.

"Yes, father?" He asked.

"We will be going." His father, the Pharaoh said. "Is he fit for travel?"

"If I hold onto him and do not ride fast I think he shall be alright." Atem replied. "Father, what is he?"

"I am not certain, my son." His father said after a moment's hesitation. "There are stories, of men who could turn into wolves, but I had believed them to be merely stories."

"Looks like they aren't." Atem replied. His father nodded.

"It would be wise not to let anyone else see his ability, if you can." His father said. "it is something some will try to take advantage of."

"I don't even know if he can actually turn into a wolf, or if that collar just cursed him, but I will do as you say, father." Atem said, bowing his head.

"Come, our horses are ready." His father said. "I have stripped Lord Anum of his titles, and given them to the caretaker. I think he will do a better job with them."

"You are wise, father." Atem said, picking up the unconscious boy.

"I try to be." His father replied with a small smile. "Remember that Atem, never believe you are wise, only strive to be wise."

"I'll try father." Atem replied. He helped the unconscious boy onto his horse, placing a hooded cloak on him to protect him from the heat of the day and the chill of the night. Thebes was thankfully only a day's ride from this town.

He mounted up behind the boy, in order to keep him steady. He didn't think the boy would wake up between now and when they'd gotten back home, he'd lost a lot of blood and was quite weak. He was so very thin, even through the cloak Atem could feel the hard knobs of his spine pressed against him.

"Strange how he looks like you." His father mused.

"Perhaps the gods made him for me." Atem chuckled, remembering one of his mother's stories from when he was a child.

"Perhaps." His father said with a small smile. "What will you do with him, when we get home?"

"He trusts me." Atem said thoughtfully. "or he likes me, but it might be both, I was kind to him when others were cruel. I should be there for when he wakes, he'll probably be confused and a friendly face will be a help to him."

"Are you planning to keep him then?" His father asked.

"If he will allow it." Atem replied. "Maybe he has family somewhere, maybe there is another life he must go back to and I will not stop him, but for now, I will keep him."


	2. Chapter 2

Star: I own nothing!

Once they were back to the palace Atem laid the wolf-boy in the bed in the servant's quarters that was attached to his own. The boy whimpered in his sleep and Atem stroked his soft hair gently. The motion seemed to settle the boy and he relaxed on the bed. Atem rested a hand on his forehead, feeling the fever burning there.

"Atem?" His father asked, coming into his chambers.

"Here, father." Atem replied.

"How is he?" His father asked.

"He has a fever, but he does not seem to be in much discomfort." Atem replied.

"I would attempt to wake him, when Ra rises, and get him to drink some water." His father suggested. "It would not do to have him become dehydrated. Keep him in your chambers, until you are certain that he will not reveal himself as a wolf to others. I'm going to be looking into more creatures like him, and at this point, discretion is our best course of action. We do not know how many more unfortunate souls are bound like he was."

"I will do my best, father." Atem replied. His father rested his hand on his head.

"Good. Get some sleep, my son." He said, leaving Atem's chambers. Atem obeyed, removing his jewellery and his clothes and settling into bed. He was hyperaware of the noises of the night tonight, his ears straining for any sound from the boy. It was a long time before sleep claimed him.

%&%&%&%

Atem woke in the morning and only put on a clean shenti before going to check on his boy, aware that a naked man in his face might not be the best thing for the boy to wake up to. The boy was still asleep, his face pale and a fine sheen of sweat shining on his skin. Atem padded back to his own room and found the water jar that was kept by his bed. He poured some out into a cup and brought it back to the boy's room.

He lifted the boy's head up and the boy jerked and made a soft whining noise. "Shh, it's okay." Atem soothed, lifting the cup to the boy's lips and tipping it up. The boy's eyes flickered slightly and his tongue darted out to try and lap at the water he felt at his lips, like a dog. Atem lifted the cup higher, so that the water was just being tipped into the boy's mouth and watched as he swallowed greedily.

Atem got him to finish the whole cup and then let his head rest again on the pillow of the bed. The boy opened those gorgeous eyes for a moment and blinked at him, confused and dull. Then he closed his eyes again and settled into sleep.

%&%&%&%

Atem's day fell into a pattern. He didn't stray far from his room, worried that the boy would wake and hurt himself in his absence, but he had to be seen, otherwise there would be talk, and his friends would wonder what was wrong with him. So he played and laughed and chatted, while the whole time his mind was on the boy sleeping in his room.

Once when he had checked in, the boy had been awake, attempting to sit up. Fur had sprouted on his face and then quickly disappeared again when the boy flopped back down, exhausted by the effort. Atem had gone to him, but he was already asleep. He didn't seem to be in distress, so Atem had left him alone again.

He reported to his father that the transformation was indeed a natural ability, and his father had simply nodded, as though confirming something that he had already guessed at. When questioned however, his father only said that he was chasing a few leads, but was not certain of anything yet.

It happened again for the next couple of days. The boy would wake up, try and change back into a wolf and fail halfway through and flop down unconscious again. Each time he would succeed a little more, more of his body changing from human to wolf, but apparently it was still too tiring for him to hold the shape.

On the morning of the third day Atem got up to give the boy his water, and witnessed the boy get up on all fours and smoothly turn from human to wolf, completely this time. He looked around, seeming confused and dazed. He pawed at the blankets and pillows and made himself a little nest before flopping down again.

Atem backed off and thought for a moment. The boy would be hungry, and he thought he might be able to get him to change back into a human if he coaxed him along. He exited his room and went down to the kitchens, getting the servants to put together a plate of food, fruits, bread, and some dried meats.

The wolf-boy was still sleeping, but his ears pricked up when Atem approached and lifted his head. "Hello, remember me?" Atem asked gently. The wolf-boy lowered his head and laid his ears back, but his tail gave a tentative thump. "That's it, I'm not going to hurt you."

He sat down on the bed and stroked the wolf-boy's head, earning himself another tail wag. He tore a piece of the bread he had off and showed it to the boy. "Go back to being human," he said. "And I will let you have this." The wolf-boy tilted his head at him. Atem peered into his eyes and sighed when he saw no spark of human intelligence in them. Perhaps he had spent too much time as a wolf.

"Human." He tried again, using simple commands like speaking to a dog. He pointed to himself and repeated "Human." He kept the bread just out of Wolf's reach, making the poor creature whine in confusion and hunger. "Come on, I know you can. Human." He pointed at himself once more and Wolf whined once but his body began to shift, skin replacing fur until he was fully human.

"Good boy." Atem cooed, holding out the bread. The boy took it delicately between his teeth and ate. Atem chuckled. "No, like this." He said, grasping the boy's hand and closing his fingers around the next bit of bread. He then lifted his own hand to his mouth to show the boy how to eat. Wolf mimicked him and chewed thoughtfully, his eyes brightening a little.

Atem brought the plate with the rest of the food and set it in front of Wolf. The boy looked at the food and then looked at him. If he'd been a wolf his tail would be tucked between his legs. "Go on." Atem encouraged, pushing the plate a little closer.

Wolf reached out with a hand, still watching Atem, waiting for him to snatch away the food, but Atem sat back and merely smiled. Wolf took one of the slices of fruit, fumbling clumsily with his fingers and ate it. Atem nodded in satisfaction and the wolf-boy slowly but surely ate everything on the plate, licking his fingers clean when he was finished.

"Good boy." Atem praised, ruffling Wolf's hair fondly. The wolf-boy looked at him with adoration, the kind of look a dog gave its beloved master. Atem would have to teach him how to be human again, hoping that he would be able to. Otherwise it might be kinder to let Wolf stay as a wolf. But, Atem was going to try. "Good boy." He repeated and then got up.

He headed to his own chambered but stopped and looked back when he heard the sound of shifting and rearranging bones. Wolf lowered his head, tail tucked against his belly. "it's alright." Atem told him. If Wolf felt more comfortable like this for now, then he was not going to protest. He wanted Wolf to trust him, after all.

He retreated to his chambers to make himself ready for the day. After a few minutes he heard the click of blunt claws on the marble floor. He turned and Wolf lowered his head, wagging his tail hopefully at Atem. Atem chuckled and knelt down on the floor. Wolf padded up to him, sniffing at him and wagging his tail.

"You're a good boy." Atem crooned, scratching the thick fur along Wolf's spine. Wolf whined happily, butting his head against Atem's. "What a good boy, Wolf." Atem praised, watching his fluffy tail wave madly about.

Atem needed to go, his friend Mahad was expecting him for magic practice. He got up and headed to the door. He paused when he heard the click-click of nails on the floor again. He turned and regarded Wolf, who looked up at him hopefully.

"Stay." He ordered. Wolf whined unhappily, ears and tail drooping. Atem knelt and rubbed Wolf behind the ears. Wolf snuffled and nudged Atem with his nose. "I have to go, but I will be back later." He promised.

He didn't know how much Wolf understood, but after a few minutes of petting Wolf didn't look so upset anymore and Atem got up and went to the door again. Wolf sat down and tilted his head at him. "You be good." Atem said. He got a doggy grin in reply.

His father intercepted him as he was walking down the hall. "How is our wolf-boy?"

"He is awake now." Atem replied. "He doesn't seem to remember being human, and I had to coax him with food to get him to change back into a human after he'd turned into a wolf."

"It may be that it's been so long since he's been human that the memories have grown dim." His father murmured. "Try to keep him human as often as you can." He suggested. "It may help."

"I will do my best father." The pharaoh smiled and ruffled Atem's hair.

"Go, your friends are waiting."


	3. Chapter 3

Star: I own nothing!

When Atem got back to his room Wolf was still sitting where Atem had left him before. "Have you just been waiting for me?" Atem asked, kneeling down to scratch behind both Wolf's ears. "Silly boy, you didn't have to do that."

Wolf's tail thumped happily against the floor and he panted, tongue lolling. He clearly didn't understand what Atem was saying, but he understood the tone was friendly, and so he reacted accordingly, squirming right up and rubbing his big head against Atem's stomach.

"You are silly." Atem said, scratching under Wolf's chin, making him groan in pleasure. "Let's see how smart you are." He thought for a moment. "Lie down." Wolf immediately lowered himself to the ground and looked up at Atem expectantly. "Roll over." Wolf rolled, displaying his skinny belly. Atem rubbed his tummy, able to feel each rib just beneath his skin. "We need to get you healthy."

There was a knock at Atem's door and he put a hand around Wolf's muzzle, lest he bark. Wolf didn't even try though. "Who is it?" Atem asked. He needed to know if he had to hide Wolf or not.

"It is your father." Atem opened the door and admitted his father to the room. Wolf whined softly and got to his feet, backing away with his tail between his legs. "Wolf, it's okay, Wolf." Atem soothed, moving towards Wolf. Wolf stopped backing up, but his tail stayed flattened against his belly. "It's okay." Atem crooned, rubbing Wolf's ears.

His father moved forward, cautiously, and then sat down on the floor just out of Wolf's reach. "Here boy." The mighty pharaoh cooed. "Come on, come here." He coaxed. Atem went over and sat down beside his father, trying to reassure Wolf.

Wolf whimpered softly in confusion, but crept forward towards Atem, ears flat against his skull and belly almost brushing the floor. Atem rubbed his ears again. "My poor Wolf, abused and neglected." Atem said softly. "Don't be afraid, this is my father, and he will not hurt you." He knew Wolf didn't understand the words, but the reassuring tone to his voice should help.

While Atem was occupying Wolf, his father reached out slowly and stroked the fur along Wolf's spine. Wolf stiffened, but didn't try to pull away. "Good Wolf." Atem's father crooned. "What a good boy." Wolf's tail began to wag again, slowly, timidly.

He sniffed at the pharaoh's face, and licked the hand that was held out to him. "He needs a lot of care, doesn't he?" Atem's father commented, running his fingers over Wolf's ribs.

"Yes, lots of food, lots of care." Atem agreed. "I'll get him to change into a human when he eats, hopefully I'll be able to convince him to stay longer as a human somehow."

"The body is unfamiliar to him, help him reacquaint himself with himself." His father replied. "He could use a bath." Wolf's ears pricked forward at the word 'bath' and he woofed softly. "Thought I'd never see the day, a beast that liked baths."

"He's human too, possibly he remembers being clean and that it felt good." Atem said. He rubbed Wolf's head. His father sighed and stood. Wolf backed away a little, still skittish, but didn't flinch when the pharaoh patted him on the head.

"Try to get him to exercise a little, throw a ball for him or something, otherwise he'll go stir-crazy cooped up in here." His father advised.

"Yes, father." Atem agreed.

"The delegates from Rome are here, hopefully they are more respectful than the last group." His father said, rolling his eyes. Atem stifled a laugh. His father had been so insulted by the delegates the last time that he'd given Atem permission to play tricks on them. Part of him hoped the current delegates would be just as annoying.

"I'm going to go get some food for you, Wolf." Atem said, patting Wolf's head. Wolf rubbed his head against Atem's side, but whined when Atem walked away. "I'll be back, I promise." Wolf didn't look happy, but he sat down anyways to wait.

Atem hurried down to the kitchens, taking two plates, one for himself, and one for Wolf. He hurried back up to his room and Wolf greeted him with a happily waving tail and licked his chops when he saw the food.

"Human." Atem ordered. "Turn human." He said, holding the plate just out of Wolf's reach. Wolf lowered his head, but moments later he was human, looking up at Atem with begging eyes. Atem sat on his bed and put the plates there. "Come, come Wolf." The wolf-boy crawled towards him on all fours and Atem decided he needed to teach him how to talk on two legs soon. Clothes would have to wait though, until Wolf would keep his human form for long amounts of time.

Wolf climbed up onto the bed and then, eying Atem, arranged himself clumsily so that he was sitting cross-legged. He almost fell off the bed twice doing so, but looked so proud of himself when he succeeded that Atem couldn't help but chuckle.

"Good Wolf." He praised, smiling. Wolf returned the smile, tentatively, and began to eat the food on his plate. Atem finished his and sat back, watching Wolf, fingers laced together. Wolf stared at his hands and clumsily imitated him, showing off his hands to Atem when he was done.

"Very good." Atem praised. Wolf's mouth opened in an O, like he was going to start howling.

"Ooo…. Oooood." He managed to say.

"Good, g…ood." Atem encouraged.

"Oood." Wolf said again, looking frustrated. "'oood."

"You'll get it eventually." Atem sighed, patting Wolf's head. Wolf's bottom lip jutted out in a pout, which was almost too adorable for words. Atem chuckled at him. "You're too cute, Wolf." Apparently Wolf wasn't impressed with his tone, because the pout and accompanying scowl, deepened.

Atem stood and stretched, working the kinks out of his back. Wolf tried to stand as well, imitating him, but, unused to trying to balance on only two legs, toppled sideways. He would have hit the floor hard, but Atem caught him, and righted him.

"Easy, Wolf." He murmured, holding onto Wolf's hands, helping him balance. Wolf clutched desperately at him, eyes wide with anxiety. Atem took a step backwards, still holding onto Wolf, and Wolf shuffled forward with him. After a couple minutes of this, Wolf whined and let go, turning back into his wolf-form. He wagged his tail apologetically at Atem, as though not being used to being human was something to be ashamed about.

Atem knelt down and stroked Wolf's fur. "You're doing alright." He said, knowing that Wolf did not understand him. "We'll figure this out, and maybe eventually you'll be able to tell me your real name." He thought about Wolf's family; did he have any? Were they worried about him?

Wolf whimpered at his sad look and shoved his head into Atem's chest. Atem was knocked onto his behind and Wolf took the opportunity to lie down across his lap. "Silly Wolf!" Atem laughed, ruffling his fur.

Wolf panted, mouth open in a doggie grin, tail waving happily. He was very pleased with himself, though whether it was for sitting on Atem, or making his sad mood go away, Atem wasn't sure. He wondered if that said something about Wolf's personality, that he didn't like seeing Atem sad. It was too early to try and make that kind of assumption though. Wolf was barely human at this point, at least, in his mind.

"We'll figure it out." Atem said out loud, reassuring himself as much as he was making a promise to Wolf. Wolf looked up at him and then licked his face. "You are a sweet boy." Atem cooed. Wolf nuzzled against him in reply, resting his head on Atem's knee.

"What kind of monsters could do such horrible things to you?" Atem murmured, playing with Wolf's ears. The fur on them was particularly soft, but Wolf shook his head with a huff when Atem reached a ticklish spot. "They deserve worse than having their titles stripped from them." Atem growled. Wolf whined at him unhappily.

Atem scratched Wolf's ears comfortingly for a few moments in silence. "Where did you come from?" He murmured. "Are there others like you, trapped in one form or the other, silenced and enslaved?" Atem shook his head. "What happened to your family, your friends? Did you have someone you loved? Are they gone, still alive?" Wolf just rested his head on Atem's knee again and yawned sleepily. "You can't answer me now, I know, but you will be able to someday, and then I promise I will do all that I can to help you reclaim your loved ones."


	4. Chapter 4

Star: I own nothing!

It was a week before Atem noticed that Wolf was getting smarter. He had been grumbling about how he couldn't find his reed brushes to work on his writing with and all the sudden he felt a nudge at his elbow. Wolf was standing there, a couple of brushes clenched in his teeth gently.

"Good boy." Atem praised, bemused. He thought for a moment. "I could use a pillow, this chair isn't that comfortable."

He could have sworn Wolf gave him a scornful look before trotting over to the bed and grasping a pillow in his teeth. "Thank you." Atem said. Wolf woofed softly at him in reply. "You are getting smarter, aren't you?" Wolf just tilted his head at him. "I bet you would understand me if I told you that we could leave this room," Wolf's ears perked up. "But," The ears drooped. "Only if you could stay human for the entire time."

Wolf whined, dancing slightly in place on all four paws, but a moment later he stood in human form, big violet eyes beseeching. "Getting too cooped up in here, huh?" Atem commented. Wolf danced in place eagerly. He was much better at walking now.

"You need clothes before we go out." Atem said, indicating his own garments. Wolf looked mulish. "You must." Atem commanded. He didn't know if Wolf understood enough to understand that bad people might hurt him if he wandered around naked. "Don't worry, you won't have to wear much."

Atem found a loincloth and a shenti for Wolf to wear. He had to help Wolf get into them, and when he was done Wolf tugged at the shenti and whined at Atem. "Those stay on." Atem said sternly. "Otherwise we don't go out."

Wolf grumbled, but moved his hands away. "You stay by me, do you understand?" Atem asked. Wolf nodded, a gesture he'd managed to pick up from Atem, or else had remembered on his own. "And you stay human. Unless you are in this room, you are not allowed to be a wolf, is that clear?" Wolf nodded again, looking worried. "Don't worry, I know that it's hard." Atem said gently, ruffling Wolf's hair. "I'll give you lots of belly rubs to make up for it later." Wolf perked up a bit at this.

"Come on." Atem said. "Let's give you a tour of the palace." Atem said, opening the door to his chambers. Wolf patiently and obediently fell in step with Atem, although he was practically vibrating with excitement. He kept close to Atem though, instead of running off like he clearly wished to do. Atem made a mental note to find a day where the two of them could ride into the desert and Wolf could run to his heart's content without worrying about someone seeing them.

"You'll meet my friends, and my cousin." Atem said. "They'll like you, but I won't say anything about your abilities, that's our little secret." Wolf bobbed his head in agreement. "Mana will love you, she'll think you're cute, even if you don't talk. I'll have to come up with some form of story as to why you are just learning to talk now." Atem muttered. "Seth, my cousin, is a bit more standoffish, but he's a good person, just a little intimidating at times."

Wolf cocked his head at him, bright eyes watchful and learning. Atem wondered if he remembered anything about his former life yet, or if he was still completely in the dark about who he was. He wondered if Wolf would leave when that happened, feeling a pang of sadness at the thought. He was already too attached to the boy. No sense worrying about that right now though.

The palace was quiet today. No dignitaries, emissaries or visitors were due for another few days, so the pharaoh could focus on his own people completely. Atem wasn't looking forward to the work that he would have to do as pharaoh, but his father always said that a job must be done, and if it must be done, it should be done well. It was the same with being a ruler.

His cousin, Seth, crossed the corridor in front of him, and loping after him was his ever-present bodyguard, Jonouchi. There was a sudden yelp of surprise and a furry black missile shot past him, trailing a shenti behind him.

"Wolf!" Atem called in alarm, picking up the fallen clothes and running after Wolf. When he got around the corner he saw Jonouchi on his knees, hugging and petting Wolf, who was whining and yipping, jumping on Jonouchi and licking his face and hands.

"You know him?" Atem asked, trying to get his breath back. Wolf flinched at his voice and turned, ears going down and tail lowering. Atem was confused for a moment and then realized that Wolf had disobeyed him, and Wolf knew that he had disobeyed. "Hey, it's okay, it's okay Wolf." Atem tried to soothe. Wolf turned back human, big eyes pleading. "I'm not going to hurt you." Atem said, moving forward and stroking Wolf's cheek.

Jonouchi was eying Atem with suspicion. Seth didn't seem too surprised that Wolf had turned into a human. "Perhaps we should go somewhere private?" Seth suggested.

"That's a good idea." Atem agreed. "We'll go back to my chambers, Wolf is comfortable there." It was a short, tense walk back to Atem's rooms, and the moment the door was shut Wolf was back in his wolf-form, jumping and whining at Jonouchi again.

"Alright, it's okay." Jonouchi soothed. "Hey, hold on." He took off his shenti and shirt and in a moment there was a bigger wolf with golden fur and one flopped over ear standing in the middle of the room. Wolf yipped happily and the two of them cavorted around the room together.

Seth removed his headdress, shaking out his shoulder-length brown hair. His normally icy-blue eyes watched the two wolf-boys play wrestle fondly. "They call themselves Guardians." He told Atem.

"Why?"

"It's complicated." Seth said. "And not knowledge they share with just anyone." He folded his arms. "I'll wait to say more. It's Jonouchi's tale after all, I don't know how much of it he wants to share."

It took a couple minutes for Wolf to calm down, but when he did, Jonouchi turned back human and his bright brown eyes when they looked at Atem were appraising. "He says you rescued him, and that you haven't hurt him." He said.

"You can understand him?" Atem asked.

"Wolf-speak is different from humans, but we do have a language." Jonouchi replied.

"What is his name?" Atem asked. Jonouchi stared at him, mouth open. "He seems to have forgotten how to be human, forgotten being human. I've been calling him Wolf for the moment."

"His name is Yugi." Jonouchi whispered. "Gods, I thought something felt wrong about him." He raked his fingers through his messy golden hair.

"Yugi." Atem repeated the strange name, and Wolf, no Yugi, wagged his tail at him. "He has been doing better since I rescued him. He understands more." Jonouchi nodded.

"It happens, when we stay as wolves for too long. Memory starts to fade, we start to lose our human minds." Jonouchi said. "For it to be like this though… he must have been stuck for a long time."

"Can you help him?" Atem asked.

"There's not much that can be done, besides what you're already doing." Jonouchi replied, scratching his head. "The longer he stays human the more he'll remember. I think it'll help having me around, reminding him of his past, but it's going to take a little bit of time before he stops acting…"

"Doggish?" Seth offered. Jonouchi glared at him. Seth smirked. Atem always found their relationship a little odd. Seth was abrasive at the best of times, but because of his status no one ever stood up to him. Up until the time he bumped into the blond guard and told him to watch it. Jonouchi had snapped back at him, and Seth was immediately interested. Their interactions had almost always ended in an argument, until the day Atem found them kissing by the pond. They still argued a lot, but that was the way Seth liked it. Seth liked having someone who wasn't afraid to have their own opinion around him. Jonouchi became Seth's personal guard and very few people actually knew the full extent of their relationship.

"Anyways," Jonouchi said, rolling his eyes. "The only way for him to remember is to be human. He's obviously getting better, and I think it's best he stay with you."

"Really?" Atem said eagerly. Yugi nudged his hand, and he scratched behind his ears absently.

"He considers you his Alpha now." Jonouchi said.

"What does that mean?" Atem asked.

"Alpha is a term we use for the ones we see as leaders, either because they have a position of leadership in the clan, or if we don't have a clan, someone we look to as someone we can trust to make decisions." Jonouchi explained. "Seth is my Alpha, you are Yugi's."

"So, he views me as a master?" Atem asked. He didn't want that. He wanted to be friends.

"No, it just means that he'll defer to you, listen to you more than he would anyone else." Jonouchi said. He patted Yugi's head. "Our clan was raided about a year ago. Never knew if any of my friends had escaped, or were slaves or pets. It's good to know at least one of them is safe."


	5. Chapter 5

Star: I own nothing!

Atem's father listened gravely as Atem told him what he knew about the Guardians. Jonouchi had given him permission to speak about it, but not to give away that he was a Guardian as well. His father seemed to understand the anonymity of Atem's information, and did not press Atem to reveal who had spoken to him.

"So there are more out there." The pharaoh said. "Your informant doesn't know where?"

"No." Atem shook his head. "Yugi is the first of his kind that he's seen since." He rubbed Yugi's head, earning a sleepy tail wag.

"So we have a people forced into servitude, most likely in the same manner that Yugi has been, or else forced to change back and forth at a whim." The pharaoh massaged his temples. "I knew that the nobles would find some loophole when I abolished slavery of human beings, because technically speaking, Yugi is not human."

"We'd have to expand the law to encompass all sentient creatures then." Atem said.

"It is not that simple. It took from the time my father was getting on in years to only a few years after you were born to get the law changed." The pharaoh said. "Politics is tricky business. If you do something the people get angry about, you could find yourself with an uprising."

"Yes father, you've said that before." Atem said respectfully.

"Makes me wonder what other unfortunate beings are being enslaved." His father sighed. Yugi whined and nudged the pharaoh's hand with his nose. Atem's father chuckled and patted Yugi's head. "He's quite perceptive of peoples' moods, isn't he?"

"Yes. If he so much as thinks that I'm upset for some reason he tries to sit on me and cuddle." Atem said with a laugh. Yugi yipped at him, knowing he was being laughed at. "It's cute." He told the wolf-boy, who grumbled and rested his head on his paws.

"He understands you much more now." Atem's father observed.

"Having another Guardian around is helpful." Atem said carefully. He did not want to give Jonouchi away. He knew his father would do nothing, but he did not want to betray Jonouchi, or Seth's, confidence in him. It was obvious Jonouchi felt his survival hinged on having as few people as possible knowing his secret.

His father hummed thoughtfully and patted Yugi's rump. "I'd best be going then, good luck with him, and try to convince the other Guardian to speak with me themselves, it would make it easier for me to help them."

"I will try, father." Atem said. He didn't think he would get anywhere with Jonouchi though, he was stubborn as a mule.

A few minutes after his father left, there was a knock at the door. "Yugi, stay human." Atem ordered. Yugi shifted into human form and put on his shenti, standing respectfully, like a servant waiting to be ordered. Atem opened the door and found Jonouchi standing there, smiling hopefully.

"Come in." Atem said. Yugi yelped happily and turned back into a wolf, prancing around Jonouchi delightedly.

"Hey, Yug'." Jonouchi grinned, rubbing Yugi's head affectionately. "I got something for you today." He pulled out a board with alternating black and white squares, along with a bag, that when poured out was shown to contain a number of wood circles in white and black. Yugi bounced eagerly at the sight of them. "You got to be human for this though." Jonouchi said with some amusement.

Yugi huffed, as though saying that he knew that perfectly well and shifted into human form, putting on his shenti without any trouble. "What is it?" Atem asked.

"It's a game called checkers." Jonouchi replied. "Kind of a less complicated version of chess, or senet. Yug' loves games."

"I know. He likes it when I hide his toys and make him go find them." Atem said.

"See that's not too hard, because he can smell them, but this one will help him learn to think like a human again." Jonouchi replied, arranging the pieces on the black squares, white on one side, black on the other. "Now Yug', you remember how to play?" He asked. Yugi tilted his head and then moved one black piece, diagonally one square away. "There we go." Jonouchi said, satisfied.

"Tell me about Yugi." Atem said.

"Well, he loves games, and he's really good at them." Jonouchi said, thinking before he made his move. "He's very kind, sometimes to the point of letting people walk all over him, but he's not an Omega, not really."

"An Omega?" Atem asked.

"Lowest ranking wolf in a Pack." Jonouchi explained. "They're the ones who get all the shit jobs, have to do what everyone else tells them. Yug'… Yugi could be an Alpha, if he really wanted to, but I think he'd probably be happiest as a Beta, the second in command to his Alpha. He'd get respect, but he'd still defer to the Alpha, and he can argue with the Alpha if he thinks he's in the wrong."

"I see. There's quite a hierarchy for your kind, I did not expect that." Atem commented.

"It's the same with wild wolves." Jonouchi shrugged. "But that probably doesn't convince people that we're not wild animals."

"I didn't even know you existed until Yugi changed in front of me." Atem said. Yugi looked up at him for a moment, and then turned back to the game, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Does he know senet?"

"I think so, could be something you could play with him when I'm not around." Jonouchi said.

"Is it alright that I sometimes treat him like a dog? Giving him belly rubs and ear scratches, playing fetch with him and things like that?" Atem asked.

"Yeah, I do that too if I'm a wolf. If I feel comfortable enough with someone I'll squirm my way into their laps and try to get them to give belly rubs." Jonouchi grinned. "It's often easier to indulge the wolf rather than fight that part of our nature, and honestly, it feels great to be able to act like a dork."

"I can imagine." Atem said. He often wished he had an excuse to act… less than proper, but he was a prince, so he had to set an example.

"Would love to be able to run wild through the palace, wouldn't you?" Jonouchi chuckled. "Oops, sorry, is that not my place?"

"No, you are Yugi's friend, therefore you can be my friend. I have too many servants as is." Atem said. "Having someone else who I can laugh with is much better."

"And I can't imagine Seth does much joking around with you." Jonouchi commented.

"He is very reserved." Atem said carefully, knowing Jonouchi was Seth's lover.

"He's got a stick up his ass." Jonouchi grinned. "You can say it. Gods know I've said it enough to his face. He's gotten better, at least in private. Now that he knows I need to hear things from him, as well as feel things, he's learning."

"That's good." Atem said. "I know he can be difficult to deal with sometimes."

"Yeah." Jonouchi agreed. "He's not really a Pack person."

"Pack?" Atem asked.

"What we call a group of us. A Pack is like family, we look out for each other, work together. Seth's more of a lone wolf… or a cat." He grinned. "Always liked cats though, so it's all good."

"So is Yugi part of your Pack?" Atem asked.

"Yeah, and you are, by being Yugi's Alpha." Jonouchi said. "You're Seth's Alpha too, since you rank higher than him, but Seth is my Alpha, so I'll listen to him over you for the most part, unless I think he's being stupid."

"Which is probably often." Atem guessed. Jonouchi laughed.

"Yup!" He agreed. "I've been training him pretty good though." Atem laughed at the thought.

The game progressed for a little while, until Yugi managed to steal Jonouchi's last piece. "Still know how to beat me." Jonouchi groused playfully, rubbing Yugi's head. He put the pieces away and stood up.

"Jooouuuuu." Yugi protested.

"Hey, I got work to do." Jonouchi said gently. "I'll come back and visit, don't you worry, and so long as you remember to stay human, you can come visit me, right?" He looked at Atem.

"Of course." Atem agreed. Yugi didn't look altogether happy with the arrangement, but he nodded and accepted a hug from Jonouchi. He then promptly turned back into a wolf and went to his room to sulk.

"Well, he still doesn't like when things don't go his way." Jonouchi observed.


	6. Chapter 6

Star: I own nothing!

Atem grumbled as he felt something nudge at his arm. He tried to swat whatever it was away and pulled his sheets closer around him. Something tugged at the sheets and he tugged back, burying his face in his pillow.

"Alpha." The soft voice near his ear made him groan. "Alpha." Atem sat up, realizing who the voice belonged to. Yugi was perched on his bed, big violet eyes wide with excitement.

"Yugi." Atem said hoarsely, blinking sleep out of his eyes. "You're talking to me." He said, stunned. "It's the middle of the night." He noted. Yugi's eyes glowed slightly.

"Alpha, see." Yugi said, scampering off the bed towards the balcony. "Come."

Atem sighed but got out of bed, padding towards the balcony. "What is it?" He asked.

"Up." Yugi replied, pointing at the sky. Atem looked up just in time to see a star go shooting through the night.

"Oh." He breathed softly, seeing more stars go shooting through.

"Sky wolves play." Yugi whispered. Atem wanted to ask what he meant, but Yugi still spoke so simply, unable to put into words his thoughts properly. Jonouchi said that although Yugi was learning to be smart like a human again, he still thought of things in wolf terms, which was hard to translate.

"The gods send gifts down from the heavens." Atem said softly. Yugi tilted his head at him. "If you travel to where you saw the star fall you may find metal that is far more precious and strong than any other on this earth. You can forge the greatest of weapons from it, the most powerful of talismans or the most beautiful of jewellery."

Yugi snorted at that. "Of course you don't think much of that." Atem chuckled.

"Alpha?" Yugi asked. "Good?" Atem patted Yugi's head, giving him the approval he wanted. Yugi bounced in place happily.

"Can you say my name?" Atem asked suddenly. "Can you say Atem?"

"'tem?" Yugi repeated, confused.

"A-tem." Atem stressed.

"A…tem. Atem." Yugi smiled sweetly.

"That's right, that's my name. You can use it, when we are in my rooms, but outside them you must call me Prince, not Atem, not Alpha. It is like your wolf form, it is our secret, do you understand?"

"Wolf hide, act dog." Yugi replied. Atem mulled over those words, struggling to understand their meaning. Then it hit him, Yugi was saying that he could not be a wolf, wild and free here, he would be caught and hurt, but he could pretend to be a dog, a servant, obedient and tame.

"Good, good." Atem said in approval. "I think it is time for us to sleep now though." He suggested. Yugi yawned widely and nodded his head. In a moment he had shifted back into his wolf form and licked Atem's hand before padding back to his room. Atem looked up at the sky a moment more before heading back to his own bed.

%&%&%&%

"Aww, he remembers our legends." Jonouchi grinned when Atem told him what Yugi had said about the falling stars.

"What do you mean?" Atem asked.

"For us, the stars are our ancestors, watching over us. Sometimes they get playful and run across the sky, racing each other." Jonouchi explained. "In the north they sometimes light fires in the sky, but they're all in greens and pinks and purples."

"I have heard of such things." Atem said. "Do your people see pictures in the stars?"

"What, you mean like the Greeks and their constellations all about their heroes?" Jonouchi asked. "Naw. Harder for us to interpret things like that, make shapes out of the way the stars are arranged. It's too human."

"But, aren't you human?" Atem asked, confused.

"In some ways, yes." Jonouchi said. "We're not just people who learned how to turn into wolves, we're an entire separate race, like centaurs, or merfolk. We may be able to interbreed with humans, but we're not human."

"My apologies." Atem said. "I've been thinking of you as human shapeshifters."

"Lots of people make that assumption." Jonouchi shrugged. "Mostly it just means we think about things differently."

"Like seeing others as Alpha and some as Omegas." Atem guessed. Yugi wiggled his way into his lap, exposing his belly fur. Atem absentmindedly rubbed Yugi's belly, the plumed tail wagging happily. "Can you tell me more of your people?"

Jonouchi was silent for a moment. "We were a small clan, Yugi's grandfather was actually our Alpha at the time when we were raided. Unfortunately, he didn't survive the raid." Yugi whined softly at this and snuffled. "He remembers." Jonouchi said. "We wander, go where the food is, sometimes trade with humans, but we keep ourselves apart, mostly."

"You said you are a small clan, there are more?" Atem asked.

"Lots. We're all over. Not all are wolves though, you get them from the jungles in the south and they're leopards, and those from the savannas are lions or cheetahs. We were from the north, long time ago. There's more wolves up there, and even some bears, though they tend to be solitary." Jonouchi explained. "We meet with other clans, at the time of greatest light and the time of darkest night."

"The longest day of the year, and the shortest." Atem said. Jonouchi nodded. "What do you do then?"

"Trade news, find mates, remember our alliances and sort out disputes if there are any." Jonouchi said. "Some clans will only take members that are the kind of animal they are, but other clans aren't so picky, so you might get a clan with mixed wolves and lions and tigers and all that."

"You don't get in betweens?" Atem asked.

"Naw, it's either one or the other if you've got parents with two different animal forms." Jonouchi smiled. "Like me, my ma was a leopard, dad was a wolf. I got a little sister and she's a leopard like ma was. Our friend Ryou, he's a lion, which is pretty funny because he's such a shy little guy." Yugi woofed at him. "You remember Ryou?" Yugi's tail thumped. "Good, good."

"Leopards are not pack animals, how does that work?" Atem asked.

"Seems to be a common thing for most Guardians, that we want to be in a Pack. Except for the bears, but they're pretty rare." Jonouchi said. "One hung out with us for a little while, and then went off on his own again."

"You must have found him strange." Atem said.

"No stranger than he must have found us." Jonouchi shrugged. "We all have our places in the world, we're all part of the cycle of life. It's only humans that seem to try to get out of that."

"What do you mean?" Atem asked.

"You dam the rivers and you try to make things grow in places they never have before." Jonouchi shrugged. "You live above nature, seems like. We wonder if that's wise."

"Hmm, you might have something there, but humans have done much wonderful things, look at the pyramids." Atem said.

"Yeah, maybe." Jonouchi replied, noncommittally. "Doesn't mean that we don't look at humans like their crazy."

"I'm sure many humans would look at you like you were crazy if they knew about you." Atem replied.

"Fair enough." Jonouchi said. "Better go, Seth will be getting out of his meeting soon."

"How can you tell?" Atem queried.

"Better sense of time." Jonouchi said. He patted Yugi once on his head and wandered out.

"I would have liked to have seen your clan." Atem said to Yugi. Yugi just sighed and rested his head on his paws.


	7. Chapter 7

Star: I own nothing!

"I have an idea." Atem said thoughtfully, looking at Yugi. Yugi tilted his head at him.

"What?" He asked quizzically. "Alpha, what idea?"

"My father is holding court today, and I am to attend as well." Yugi tilted his head at him. "Court is when my father receives people from other lands who wish to pay respect and talk politics, as well as people from our own lands who need to air grievances."

"Oh, Clan Meet!" Yugi yipped in understanding.

"Yes, just like that." Atem said. "You've been good at staying human when I ask you to. I am allowed to have my personal servant attend me, so that I can get food and drink without leaving. Do you think you can get me food or drink if I ask you?"

"Yes." Yugi said.

"You'd have to talk to other people." Atem warned.

"Can talk." Yugi assured him.

"Remember, you obey me, and my father." Atem said. "You don't have to do anything someone else tells you, and if they try to hurt you, you can defend yourself."

"Bite?" Yugi asked.

"If you need to." Atem agreed. "You will be wearing my sigil, no one should bother you, but if you do, you come find me, alright?"

"Yes, Atem-Alpha." Yugi said, bobbing his head in agreement.

"Good." Atem said. He helped Yugi get into his full outfit, which was a white shirt, shenti and a sash for his waist in purple, with a hawk's head embroidered in it, marking Yugi as a servant of the Pharaoh's house. He also placed a gold pendant around Yugi's neck, which had his own personal seal, the Eye of Wedjet. "Keep these on, these mark you as mine."

"Mark, like scent-mark." Yugi said. "I Pack, your Pack."

"Yes, my Pack." Atem agreed, stroking his cheek. Yugi yipped happily and licked his hand. "Good, come on then." Yugi followed him obediently to the throne room. Atem's father looked at them once and nodded his head, before turning his attention to the incoming crowd.

Four complaints and three gifts had gone by before Atem noticed Yugi fidgeting. He knew Yugi didn't like to hold still for too long and smiled to himself. "Yugi, go fetch me a cup of juice." He ordered the wolf-boy. Yugi nodded his head and padded out of the throne room, sticking to the sides of the room so he wasn't disturbing the proceedings.

"He's come a long way." His father commented quietly. Atem nodded his head once, smiling softly.

%&%&%&%

Yugi pad-padded through the halls, on two-legs which were too slow. Four legs much better, but not allowed outside the room, no. Too many people to see, don't want them to see, secret, Atem-Alpha said, protect. Atem-Alpha wanted to protect Yugi, protect from bad men who hurt Yugi, make him forget.

Yugi remembered more-more now, but hard. Wolf-mind strong, memory easy, words hard, think hard. He tried, make Atem-Alpha happy, make smile. Yugi liked when Atem-Alpha smile, when he remember some how to be human, so he try remember more-more, make Atem-Alpha smile more-more.

Kitchen, good smells. Remember words, ask nice, play Omega, no one know Yugi wolf, must act dog. "Please, need juice for Prince." Good, good words. Hands around cup, don't drop, fingers good for holding, better than mouth, or paws. One human gave Yugi piece of sweet fruit, call him cute. Wolves not cute, wolves noble, but Yugi don't protest, must go back to Atem-Alpha.

Out of the room that smells like good food, find way back to Atem-Alpha. Easier to remember now, so many rooms, made Yugi dizzy before. Almost there, almost back to Atem-Alpha, could smell him now. Sudden bad smell come, erase Atem-Alpha's good smell.

"My, my, what a pretty thing you are." Path blocked by bad-smell human, don't bare teeth, speak, don't bite, not yet. "And here I was looking for a little bedwarmer."

"Excuse me." Polite, good, try to go around, way blocked again.

"Ah, ah, you're a servant, you have to listen to me." Not true, Atem-Alpha say only listen to him and Pharaoh-Alpha. Try to go around again. "Listen you little bastard, you are going to listen, or I am going to beat you." Yugi's arm grabbed and he reacted, biting into a fleshy arm. Bad taste, bad taste, now run. He dropped the cup and ran from the screeching human.

%&%&%&%

Atem looked up as Yugi ran back into the throne room, plowing through a dignitary from Athens and his retinue and bounding up to the throne and finally hiding behind him. Atem turned to look at Yugi, who had a wide-eyed look of fear and anger on his face.

"Bad-smell man." The wolf-boy growled, just as a visiting noble from another city barged into the throne room, red-faced and bellowing.

"Kontar, cease this noise." Atem's father ordered. "You have interrupted my negotiations, you had better have a good reason for this." The pharaoh's voice was stern, and Kontar squirmed where he stood. Yugi growled behind Atem.

"That… that boy, hiding behind the prince, he bit me!" Kontar finally managed to ground out. The pharaoh turned to Yugi.

"Yugi, did you bite this man?" He asked.

"Yes, trying to get back here, he was in way and wanted… bedwarmer? Don't know what means, but knew didn't have to listen to anyone but prince and king, so tried to go away, but was grabbed, so bit." Yugi showed him his arm, which was rapidly bruising. Atem was impressed. He hadn't heard Yugi speak so many words in one go before. He gently stroked Yugi's hair, silently telling him he was proud.

"I see." The pharaoh said, turning back to Kontar. "You have been in this palace before Kontar, tell me, what does the purple sash around Yugi's waist signify?" Kontar began to squirm, wringing his hands. "Answer me, Kontar." The pharaoh said sternly.

"It is the mark of a servant of the royal family." Kontar stuttered out.

"And tell me, is a servant of the royal family yours to command, or to use as a bedwarmer?" The pharaoh asked, his voice soft and cold. "No, don't answer, I think you know the answer." Kontar paled under the pharaoh's hard stare. "For that matter, you know you are not allowed to order any palace servants into your bed, at all."

"I forgot, my pharaoh." Kontar whined.

"You seem to forget a lot, Kontar." The pharaoh replied. "You are hereby banned from the palace until further notice, and fined, half of your wealth."

"Half of my wealth!"Kontar squeaked.

"Be lucky it was not all." The pharaoh said sternly. "Now, you will be escorted out." Kontar was led away and the pharaoh apologized to the Athenians for the interruption.

"Pharaoh-Alpha bites with words." Yugi whispered to Atem. Atem looked at him, not sure what he meant. Soon the session was over though and the two of them walked back to Atem's chambers.

"Yugi, what did you mean, my father bites with words?" Atem asked. Yugi was silent for a moment, brow furrowed as he struggled to find the words.

"Alpha sometime have to remind others that he is Alpha, sometimes bite, sometimes fight to prove self." Yugi said. "Pharaoh-Alpha shows dominance with words, not bite."

"Ahh, so he bites with his words." Atem said. Yugi nodded.

"Very powerful Alpha do that." Yugi said. "Is hard, for wolves. Easier to be understood with bite."

"So what you're saying is my father is a very good Alpha." Atem said.

"Yes, yes." Yugi said. He yawned and turned back into a wolf, snuggling into Atem's laugh.


	8. Chapter 8

Star: I own nothing!

Atem was playing Senet with Yugi, while his father complained about all the people who were coming to him with complaints all the time. "One of them had the audacity to suggest that since I was raising taxes on the nobles, but not the poor, that I was going senile. Senile!"

"Wait, so he did not understand that since he had much more money, than it is logical that he gets taxed more than the person who earns just enough to keep themselves and their family fed?" Atem asked.

"Precisely." His father sighed. "Sometimes I wonder how they get on, with only half a brain in their heads."

"That implies they have any brains at all." Atem jerked and looked up at Yugi, who frowned at him, puzzled by his response. But there had been no hesitance in Yugi's voice, no use of childish words, wolfish words.

"Yugi?" He asked.

"What is it, Atem?" Yugi asked. He blinked and then put a hand over his mouth. "Oh…"

"You're talking normally now." Atem said gently. "You haven't been."

"I know, I remember." Yugi replied.

"What happened?" Atem asked. Yugi frowned again, tapping his lip thoughtfully.

"It's hard to explain." Yugi said. "It was like there were two pieces of me, but they weren't connecting right, so I understood human things, but I couldn't shape my thoughts like a human, until now."

"Why now?" The pharaoh asked.

"I'm not sure, Pharaoh, it may just be that the healing has completed itself." Yugi replied. "I've been close for days though."

"I'm going to miss being called Pharaoh-Alpha." Atem's father said, sounding a little crestfallen.

"I can continue to call you that, if it pleases you." Yugi offered shyly.

"It does." The Pharaoh replied. "What will you do now?"

"Is there something I ought to do, Pharaoh-Alpha?" Yugi replied, looking blank.

"You do not wish to try and find the rest of your clan?" The Pharaoh asked.

"I do, but it would not be wise at this time." Yugi replied. "It would be more than likely that I would be caught and made a slave again, because there is no law against enslaving non-humans as of yet." Atem was impressed by how well-spoken Yugi actually was, though he missed the way he had been speaking; it was cute. Yugi now radiated a sense of gentle intelligence, and his face was far more animated. It was a handsome face too, Atem now noticed.

"That is true." The Pharaoh agreed. "And your position here, it is still to your liking?" Yugi looked at Atem, his eyes soft.

"I trust Atem." He replied. "I know he will not allow me to come to harm, and he will not abuse me like those others did."

"Never, never." Atem said, shaking his head. "How anyone could harm someone else like that is beyond me."

"Humans are strange." Yugi replied. "I'm not even going to go into what we think about hunting for sport." He added.

"What?" Atem asked curiously.

"Only that you humans must feel so unsure of yourselves that you must kill something bigger than you to make you feel better." Yugi said, a distinct twinkle in his eyes. Atem's father guffawed, an oddly inelegant sound.

"Well, one thing's for certain, I think we will enjoy your sense of humour." The Pharaoh said. "Now, I must go."

"Thank you Pharaoh-Alpha." Yugi said, bowing his head.

"For what?"

"For working on making sure what happened to me can't happen anymore." Yugi replied.

"I would hardly be a good pharaoh if I ignored those who need my help." Atem's father replied, and then took his leave.

"Does this mean I can't give you belly rubs anymore?" Atem asked, struggling to find something to say. Yugi threw his head back and laughed. Atem had heard Yugi giggle before, but never a full-blown laugh and it was absolutely beautiful.

"If you only knew how good belly rubs actually feel, you wouldn't be worried about that question." Yugi finally said. "That does lead me to my question though."

"What is it?" Atem asked.

"Do you view me as a pet, or a person?" Yugi asked seriously.

"The only reason I treated you as a pet is because that was what you responded best to." Atem said. "My goal from the very beginning was to help you regain your human mind, and now that I have succeeded I will treat you as I would treat any other person."

"I had to know." Yugi said, making another move on the Senet board. "Forgive me if I offended you."

"I understand." Atem assured him. "What do you remember?"

"Everything." Yugi said with a shudder.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring anything painful to the surface." Atem said.

"It's fine. I'll probably start having nightmares now though." Yugi said.

"Why now?" Atem asked.

"I've been dreaming wolf dreams until now, because that's what my thoughts were like. Wolf dreams are simple, they don't really have nightmares, because they don't dwell on bad things." Yugi explained.

"And now that you have human understanding again, you do dwell on bad things." Atem finished.

"Exactly." Yugi said softly.

"If you need someone to talk to, or just a moment of comfort, I am right here." Atem said. "You can wake me up, I don't care."

"Isn't that odd to allow a servant to do?" Yugi asked.

"Yugi, you're only a servant because that was the only way I could explain why you were so close to me all the time." Atem said carefully. "It prevents anyone else from trying to harm you without repercussions. I have and will continue to try to be your friend, if that is what you wish of me."

Yugi smiled sweetly at him. "You are a good Alpha." He commented.

"What do you mean?" Atem asked.

"A good Alpha is one who is close with his Pack, doesn't put himself above the others that they are leading." Yugi explained. "Your father is much the same, showing compassion for even the weakest and lowest of his Pack."

"It does tend to make him unpopular with some of the nastier nobles." Atem said. "But I aim to be just like him when I become Pharaoh. Hopefully by then the laws will be passed that prevent non-human sentient beings from being enslaved."

"Hmm." Yugi hummed thoughtfully. "I win."

"What?" Atem looked at the board. "Oh, Ra damn it!" Yugi had proved to be a fearsome opponent at any sort of strategy game. It rankled Atem a little, because he'd always been the best at those sort of games, even beating out Seth, who was considered a champion.

Yugi laughed and him and turned into a wolf. He wiggled his way into Atem's lap, displaying his belly. "You are demanding, aren't you?" Atem chuckled, patting the furry tummy. Yugi whuffed and grinned at him in reply.


	9. Chapter 9

Star: I own nothing!

Yugi had found his quarry, and prepared to attack. They wouldn't know what hit them. He waited, crouched down, just a little closer, and… pounce!

"Ahhh!" Atem went down in a heap with a wolf on top of him. "Yugi!" He protested. Yugi turned back into a human, laughing at Atem.

"You've been at your desk for hours, it's time you had a break." He told Atem.

"I have work to be done." Atem protested.

"And you will get it done." Yugi replied. "For now you should take a break. You've missed the midday meal."

"Have I?" Atem asked, bemused. His stomach rumbled at him. "Oh."

"See?" Yugi said. "I tried telling you, but you were so engrossed in what you were doing."

"Did you at least get something for yourself?" Atem asked. Yugi blushed and looked away. "Yugi." Atem sighed.

"I wasn't sure I should." Yugi said.

"Yugi, you are servant only to protect you, you need not ask my permission to leave." Atem said gently, reaching out to stroke Yugi's hair.

"I don't want to get grabbed again." Yugi murmured, ashamed.

"Yes, I guess you would be afraid of that. It's nothing to be embarrassed about." Atem assured him. "But you know you can fight back. You are a wolf, you are a predator among sheep."

"Act like a dog, bite like a wolf." Yugi murmured.

"Exactly. Anyone who has a problem with you will answer to me." Atem said. "By now most have probably heard about what happened to the last person who tried to mess with you."

"True." Yugi agreed. "I'd prefer not to have to bite anyone again though, that was nasty."

"I can only imagine." Atem said drily. "But, I need to stretch my legs I think. We can go to the kitchen and beg some food from the cooks, then maybe find Jonouchi and Seth."

"Yes!" Yugi said happily, and then blushed, feeling foolish. Atem chuckled though.

"I never get tired of your enthusiasm." He commented. "Come on then."

Yugi followed behind Atem, as was proper for a servant. Had he walked beside Atem he would have been saying that he was equal to him. Well, technically Atem said he was, but they had to keep up appearances, outside Atem's chambers.

Yugi watched Atem's back as they walked along. It was nicely muscled, he could see that even through his shirt. His arms were nice too, muscular but not too big. Yugi blushed and looked away. He'd known for years that he was into men and not women, and it didn't bother him at all. The Guardians believed in life mates, no matter what gender the two, or sometimes three of them, were.

But that didn't mean Atem was like that. In any case, the prince could already be betrothed to someone, someone of noble blood, not a half-wild wolf like him. He exhaled, trying not to sigh unhappily. As much as he wanted to believe he was Atem's equal, they weren't even the same species. Jonouchi had found love, but things had always been a lot simpler for his friend than they were for him.

"You alright Yugi, you're being awfully quiet." Atem said.

"Servants aren't meant to chat with their masters." Yugi replied. "I'm just playing the part."

"Right." Atem said. "We'll be able to talk once we find Jonouchi and Seth."

"Of course, if you can get a word in edgewise with Jonouchi around." Atem laughed at that. Yugi felt warm inside; it felt good to be able to make Atem laugh like that.

The cooks were apparently used to Atem missing his meals and merely shook their heads and loaded a platter with fruits and breads and meats, giving it to Yugi to carry. Yugi's mouth watered at the smell, but he forced down his wolf instinct to eat and followed Atem out.

"Now the problem is figuring out where Seth has gone." Atem grumbled.

"They were around here, not that long ago." Yugi said.

"How do you know?" Atem asked curiously.

"I can smell them. Nose isn't quite as good as when I'm a wolf, but it works better than a human's nose." Yugi replied. "I can track their scent."

"Go on then." Atem said. "Let me know which way I should go."

It took a couple minutes, with Yugi quietly directing Atem down the corridors and out into the open air. Jonouchi and Seth were watching two others, a man and a young woman, practicing magic in the middle of an open area. Yugi could sense a ward around the area, probably to prevent any spells from getting at someone other than the two magicians.

"That's Mahad and Mana, they're my friends." Atem told him. "They will not mind if you are friendly towards me."

"Okay." Yugi agreed. Jonouchi spotted them and waved happily, drawing Mana and Mahad's attention to them. Mana bounced over, beaming happily. Yugi immediately liked her.

"Hello Atem, who's this?" She asked, eying Yugi curiously.

"This is Yugi, he's my new personal servant." Atem said. Yugi bowed his head to her.

"You sure know to pick the cute ones, don't you?" Mana teased, patting Atem's shoulder.

"Mana." Mahad admonished.

"What? He is!" Mana protested.

"Come Mana, you need more practice." Mahad told her. Mana pouted, but followed the taller male back into the warded area.

"Mahad feels the need to treat me formally when we are out in public." Atem explained. "When we are alone, amongst people we trust, he is a lot less stiff."

"I see." Yugi said. Jonouchi waved them over and they sat down, sharing the plate of food.

"So how are you today, Yugi?" Jonouchi asked.

"I'm good." Yugi replied. Jonouchi grinned. He'd been ecstatic when Yugi had told him that his mind was all there again. Yugi thought he feared he would relapse, and every assurance that he hadn't just pleased him to no end.

"Better watch out around Mana," Jonouchi said loudly. "She might turn you purple."

"I heard that!" Mana yelled. "And for your information I haven't turned anyone colours for weeks."

"I'm just letting Yugi know, for his own safety." Jonouchi replied.

"Hey, do you know Yugi from somewhere?" Mana asked curiously, bouncing over. Mahad sighed behind her and Yugi gave him a sympathetic look. He shrugged, looking as though he'd dealt with this sort of thing a lot.

"Yeah, we grew up together." Jonouchi said. "I helped him get his current job when I found out he was in the city. His last boss didn't treat him so good." Jonouchi lied easily. It was part of being a wolf masquerading as a dog. You had to be able to lie.

"Aw, that's sweet." Mana said. "Do you like it here, Yugi?"

"Yes, the prince has been kind to me." Yugi replied.

"You can call me Atem in their presence." Atem murmured in his ear and Yugi fought down another blush.

"Yeah, we all know Atem's a big softie that doesn't mind servants being friendly with him." Mana giggled. "He really is adorable Atem, you're one lucky guy."

"I don't know what goes on in her head sometimes." Atem murmured, his face a little redder than usual. Yugi chose not to tease him about it.


	10. Chapter 10

Star: I own nothing!

Atem watched Yugi wrestle with Jonouchi. The two of them were human, being outside, but they were as graceful as wolves as they dodged and struck at each other. Jonouchi had wanted Yugi to demonstrate his skills as a fighter, saying he had always been one of the best at hand-to-hand combat, even at the Clan Meets.

It was interesting to watch Yugi, because he was so much smaller than Jonouchi. His size though made him more difficult to hit, and what he lacked in brute strength he more than made up with speed and accuracy of his hits. Jonouchi was more the brute strength kind of fighter, with heavy fists, and a no-quit attitude that kept him going long after someone else might have stopped out of exhaustion or pain. He could overwhelm an opponent just on sheer stubbornness alone.

"It's interesting how you can see the wolf in the way they move." Seth commented in a low voice. Mahad and Mana were watching too, and neither of them knew about Yugi or Jonouchi's abilities. Yugi felt the less who knew about him the better. He was very nervous about being captured and made into a pet again, despite Atem's assurances.

"Hmm, yes." Atem said. "Tell me Seth, did Jonouchi come by his acceptance of same-sex couples naturally, or did you have to coax him along?" Seth raised an eyebrow at him. "Just a question. I know there are cultures where such things are considered distasteful, or against the gods."

"Foolish." Seth grunted. "It seems that the Guardians do not care either way. They mate for life, you see, and the bond of a mated pair is considered sacred. Jonouchi was disgusted when he found out that sometimes humans arrange their marriages."

"Hm." Atem tried not to feel disappointed. Could Yugi ever want to be his mate? Certainly he knew Yugi liked him, but in that manner?

"I would not press anything, if I were you." Seth advised. "You'll know if he has chosen you as his life partner."

"How?"

"That I will not tell you." Seth said with a smirk.

"You're a pain." Atem growled. Seth's smirk only widened. Yugi managed to knock Jonouchi onto his back and sat on him, fingers at his throat.

"Alright, alright, I give." Jonouchi said with a grin. "Good to see you haven't gotten rusty."

"Good for me to know too." Yugi said. He looked towards Atem and Atem saw Jonouchi look at Yugi, look at him and then back at Yugi again. He raised his eyebrows, as though he had just figured something out. The blond patted Yugi on the shoulder and grinned.

"Well, you can still kick my ass, that's for sure." He said. "Didn't I tell you he was a tricky little bastard?"

"You did." Seth agreed.

"So cute and yet so vicious." Mana giggled. "A dangerous combination."

"Yeah, plenty of people have underestimated him in the past." Jonouchi agreed.

"Perhaps he would be a better bodyguard than a personal servant." Mahad suggested. Atem saw Yugi stiffen slightly.

"He is not comfortable getting into confrontations." Atem said, trying to allay whatever fears were bothering Yugi. Yugi smiled thankfully at him and he couldn't help the little skip his heart did. Gods, he was falling head over heels for the boy, and he had no idea if Yugi felt the same way.

%&%&%&%

"How often to your kind mate with humans?" Yugi looked up at the question, frowning at Atem. "I have been wondering if Jonouchi's relationship with Seth is unusual for Guardians."

"It's not usual, but not because we don't like humans." Yugi said slowly. He was smart enough to know that Atem wasn't telling the whole truth. He knew that this was significant to him somehow, but he couldn't put his finger on why.

"Then what?" Atem asked.

"We're a secretive people, and so tend not to mingle so much with humans." Yugi explained. "Therefore it's not as likely to find a mate amongst humans simply because we don't really get close to them."

"But you could, if you wanted." Atem persisted. Yugi sighed.

"We could. But, we'd have to find a human who can accept that we are not human, and that we sometimes do things strangely, especially when it comes to mates." Yugi said.

"What do you mean?" Atem asked.

"It's not something we talk about." Yugi said uncomfortably. He didn't want to tell Atem something that would make Atem think he was odd. Gods, he already wanted to mark Atem as his.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Atem said. "What about other sentient beings, do your kind ever find mates with them?"

"Oh yes. Centaurs especially seem to have a good compatibility with us. Probably because they are hunters by nature, as we are." Yugi said, aware that Atem was changing the subject to avoid making him more uncomfortable. He was really sweet that way. Yugi fought down a blush.

"Do Guardians ever come in non-predator forms?" Atem asked.

"No." Yugi shook his head.

"How come?" Atem asked.

"That is simply how the First Ones were made." Yugi said with a shrug.

"The First Ones?" Atem asked.

"The gods made the First Ones, in order to have creatures that thought as they did, but were still connected to the earth." Yugi replied.

"The gods, like Ra?" Atem interrupted.

"No, we have our own gods. We do not speak their names, unless we wish for their attentions on us. The gods are not always kind to those who draw their attention, so it is wiser to let them be." Yugi said. "The First Ones came before humans, humans were Guardians at one point."

"What happened?" Atem asked eagerly. He loved hearing stories about other gods and other cultures' legends.

"There was a terrible illness, that struck the beasts of the land, long ago." Yugi intoned. "It was as if their vitality, that which makes them alive, was being stripped away from them. One clan of Guardians saw this, and asked the gods how they might help. The gods gave them a way, but at a terrible price."

"What?" Atem asked.

"In order to restore the beasts' life, the Guardians would have to give up the beast-life that dwelled within them." Yugi told him.

"So, they'd no longer be able to change." Atem guessed.

"Precisely. And more than that they would no longer be able to understand the earth as beasts do." Yugi said with a shudder. He could feel the beat of the earth's heart like it was a part of him. To have that stripped away would be terrible. Even more terrible than slowly losing his non-beast mind like he had. "But the Guardians chose it anyways, even knowing what they could become. And thus, the race of humans was born."

"So in your minds, we are descendants of saviours." Atem said.

"The story is not told so much anymore, since humans treat us like less than them, but there are those of us who remember, and shake our heads in despair about how humans have become." Yugi replied. "There are those who worry it might get worse in the future, with humans turning completely away from Nature."

"How though?" Atem asked. "We rely so much on what Nature has to offer us."

"I do not know." Yugi said frankly. "I only tell you what I have heard from the Elders."

"Your culture is so fascinating Yugi, I'd love to hear more." Atem said. "But, it is almost time for court, so we must be going."

"Of course." Yugi said, standing up to follow Atem. As they walked something clicked in his mind and he nearly gasped. He figured out why Atem had so many questions about his people. He smiled slightly to himself, blushing a little. He fervently hoped Atem would understand what he was going to do now.


	11. Chapter 11

Star: I own nothing!

Atem woke from a good night's rest, stretching out luxuriously in his bed. As he did so his feet hit something on his bed. He frowned and sat up, opening his eyes. Yugi, in his wolf-form, was lying at his feet on the bed, asleep.

"Yugi?" He asked, perplexed. Had Yugi suffered a setback and devolved back into the mind of the wolf? Yugi's ears perked up at the sound of his name and he lifted his head, looking around. He saw Atem looking at him and his ears began to droop slightly. He wagged his tail, but seemed uncertain about something.

"What's all this?" Atem asked, sliding down the bed to pet Yugi. "You know you don't need to sleep at my feet, like some pet." Yugi let out a whuffling noise and nudged at Atem's hand. "Come on Yugi, what's wrong?" Atem coaxed. Yugi sighed and turned human, dragging part of the sheet to him to preserve his modesty.

"I should explain why we are called Guardians." Yugi said quietly, avoiding Atem's eyes.

"Yugi?" Atem asked after a couple minutes of silence. "It's okay, whatever it is, I'm not going to be upset, I promise." He took Yugi's hand, squeezing it gently. Yugi's breath hitched and he looked at Atem then, his violet eyes wide and hopeful.

"Part of the reason we are called Guardians is because the gods charged us with guarding the earth. Because we reason like the gods can, we are caregivers of the world, guardians, if you will." Yugi said. "But there is another, more intimate reason we call ourselves Guardians."

"Such as?" Atem prompted gently.

"When my kind finds someone they feel is their ideal mate, they become very protective of that person." Yugi said. "Even more so if they are not Guardians, since they do not have the same defenses as we do. When we pledge ourselves to someone, we are pledging not only to love them, but to guard them until they pass on and join the ancestors in the sky."

"I understand, but, what does that have to do with you sleeping at the foot of my bed?" Atem asked.

"We guard at all times, even when our mate is asleep, therefore we must be close to our mate, in the path of danger if it ever came." Yugi replied. Atem stared as the implications of what Yugi was telling him dawned on him.

"Are you saying you consider me a potential mate?" He asked. Yugi looked away and nodded his head, biting his lip. Atem gripped Yugi's chin gently and turned his face back towards him. "And here I was thinking I had no chance at all with you."

"Wha…What?" Yugi squeaked out. Atem smiled and leaned in, pressing their lips together softly. It was brief, only a fleeting touch, but Yugi was blushing when Atem pulled back.

"I have fallen in love with you." Atem said. "Why do you think I was asking so many questions about your kind, and who they mate with?"

"I hoped." Yugi said softly. "That's why I acted now, because I thought that you were trying to drop hints, but I was scared."

"You should never be scared of me." Atem said, stroking Yugi's cheek.

"I could never be." Yugi replied.

"Good." Atem said. "So you will sleep at my feet, in order to protect me? Can you not simply sleep with me?"

"No, the compulsion to protect is very strong, and I cannot defend you if I am tangled in the sheets." Yugi replied. "I will also become distressed if I am apart from you for too long, as if you are gone from me I cannot protect you."

"I don't see any problems with that, but we should discuss this new development with my father, see what he has to say about certain issues." Atem said.

"Such as?" Yugi asked.

"If it were known that you are my lover, you might be open to attacks." Atem said. "It may be wiser to keep this a secret for the time being."

"The less attention on me the better." Yugi replied with a shudder. Atem nodded his head.

"Come, my father will likely still be in his chambers at this early hour." Atem said.

"I should probably put on clothes, then." Yugi muttered, walking to his room; although if what he was saying was going to take hold it wasn't technically going to be his room anymore. Atem smiled at the thought, wondering if Yugi would consent to cuddling.

Yugi came back out, adjusting his sash. "Have I ever told you that you're beautiful?" Atem asked, feeling inspired. Yugi blinked and tilted his head at him.

"No." He replied.

"Well, you are." Atem said lamely.

"So are you." Yugi replied, blushing.

"And you haven't even seen all of me." Atem said in a low voice. Yugi's blush intensified at the implication of what he was saying. "I don't think we'll be getting to that for a little while though."

"Probably for the best." Yugi agreed. Atem kissed his cheek gently.

"Come, we must find my father." He said. Yugi nodded in agreement, touching his kissed cheek.

Ra was barely up, so the only people out in the halls were servants getting ready for the day. Nonetheless Yugi still played the part of a dutiful servant, as opposed to his… lover, Atem supposed would be the right word. There were too many people out there that would give information to enemies simply for a little gold.

Atem knocked on his father's door. "Unless you are coming with breakfast, go away." Came the grumpy reply from within. Atem chuckled and opened the door. His father glared at him from the bed. "I should string you up by your thumbs." The Pharaoh threatened.

"Yes, yes, and let the vultures have me." Atem replied, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, father, you need new threats." His father huffed and stretched.

"Well then, what is so important that you had to wake me up even earlier than I must?" He asked.

"Yugi and I have decided to try for a relationship." Atem said.

"Well, it's about time." His father said.

"Excuse me?"

"Anyone with eyes could see you had fallen in love with him, my son." The pharaoh laughed. "You're always watching him, eyes soft and longing, and he can't stop blushing whenever you look at him."

"Oh." Yugi said. Atem could see him blushing again.

"As happy as I am for you, I fail to see why you must wake me up for it." The pharaoh complained.

"No, that's just the first part." Atem said. He explained about how Guardians were with their chosen mates, the level of protectiveness they felt. The pharaoh looked thoughtful. "What we are most concerned about is having people know about our relationship. Yugi's not sure he's comfortable having attention on him and I worry that people will see him as a target to try and hurt the Royal Family."

"I agree." The pharaoh said. "Those are the same reasons I told your cousin to keep his relationship with his bodyguard a secret. Although he is only the second heir to the throne, he is still of the Royal family."

"You know?" Atem blurted out. Of course his father knew. He probably also knew that Jonouchi was the other Guardian, but kept his secrets out of respect. The pharaoh's eyes twinkled at him, all but confirming his suspicions.

"As for the protection part of things, his position now will make it easy for him to do so." The Pharaoh said. "It's not uncommon for personal servants to accompany their masters everywhere, I doubt anyone will look twice at him, and if they do, it will only be because of his uncommon beauty."

"I'm not." Yugi blurted, blushing.

"I can say for certain that you are, and that you are lucky that you were only used as an animal, and not forced into someone's bed." The Pharaoh told him. Yugi blanched at the suggestion. "A cruel fate for a being that considers the bond of mates to be sacred."

"Yes." Yugi said softly. "Thank you, pharaoh, for seeing us."

"Do not mention it. Now, please leave, so that I might be able to get a little more sleep before I must wake up."


	12. Chapter 12

Star: I own nothing!

Yugi was glad Atem was so understanding of his nature, because his protective instinct was now making itself known to him in earnest. He bristled and had to prevent himself from growling every time someone came too close to his mate. The urge was strong at first, but Yugi knew it would fade in time to more manageable levels.

Jonouchi took one look at him that day, and started laughing his head off. "I told you!" He said triumphantly, sticking his finger in Seth's face. "I knew that Yugi was gonna go for it."

"As I recall I did agree with you on the level of attraction between the two of them." Seth replied, swatting the finger away. "I know my cousin well enough to know when he is besotted."

"Great, did everyone know but us?" Atem groused.

"Not our fault you're blind, Atem." Mana said sweetly. "I think it's cute, like a folk tale, the mighty prince falling for his lovely servant, except it is not forbidden by your father. Is it?"

"No, he just cautioned us to keep it quiet, like Jonouchi and Seth do." Yugi answered. "We agreed."

"For the best." Mahad said. "The pharaoh is not popular with some of the nobles, for his progressive views on the common people."

"A good king cares about all his people." Atem said. "All of them. What nobles fail to realize is that the lower classes outnumber them and if sufficiently riled up they will be able to tear down the monarchy."

"My people are the same. If our leader is seen to be unfit we will drive him out and find a new leader." Yugi said carefully. He felt that he could trust Mahad and Mana, but there were others in the palace, and there could be someone listening.

"What were your people like?" Mana asked curiously. "You never talk about them."

"We were nomads, going wherever the wind might take us." Yugi replied. "Not much else to tell, really." He added with a shrug.

"Aww, I was hoping for something a little more interesting." Mana pouted. Oh you have no idea, Yugi thought.

"Nope, just an average person." Yugi said pleasantly.

"Not so, since you've managed to win the affections of the prince himself." Mahad said. "He does not easily share his life. Too many would seek to win themselves into his bed to further their own statuses."

"The perils of being in power." Seth said. "It's hard to know your friends from your enemies."

"Does that happen with your people?" Mana asked, still fishing for more information.

"No, our clan is like a family, any kind of animosity is dealt with quickly and without much fuss." Yugi said.

"Sounds nice." Mana sighed.

"Not very practical for a large kingdom though." Yugi replied.

"True enough." Mahad said sagely. "Though sometimes I'm not certain our system is practical either." He added with a frown.

"I think any type of government is going to have problems." Seth said. "That's just what happens when you try to deal with people. Everyone has their own opinions."

"Enough, I hear too much about politics as is." Atem ordered. "Let's go swimming."

The six of them headed down to the river, which came into a large pool behind the palace, specially made when the palace went in. It was fenced off so crocodiles and hippos could not get in, but fish and frogs and birds still made the place their home and it was a lovely spot to cool down in the hot sun.

Jonouchi whooped and plowed into the water, sending a small tidal waved outwards from him. Seth snorted and removed his jewellery and clothing, leaving himself in the nude and waded in at a sedate pace.

Yugi was thankful that the Egyptians did not have a taboo against nudity, like so many human cultures. It was silly, or so he thought. It was just the same as having fur, and the humans didn't make their beasts where clothes to hide their bodies, did they?

He watched Atem undress, feeling a growl of possessiveness bubble in his throat. He forced it down, but not before seeing Jonouchi's knowing look. Atem was his and no one else's and he would fight anyone who thought differently. He breathed out slowly, regaining control. Mana especially was very touchy-feely, and he didn't want to wind up hurting her because of his possessive urges.

He stepped into the water and waded out to where Jonouchi was trying to entice Seth into a water fight. Yugi snuck up behind Jonouchi and jumped up to wrap his arms around Jonouchi's neck from behind and pull him under the water. Jonouchi sputtered as he came up and then began chasing Yugi around the pool.

Atem caught him as he ran past, pulling him to him. "Having fun?" He asked, breath tickling Yugi's ear.

"Yes, come play." Yugi demanded, pulling out of Atem's grip and dancing just out of his reach. Atem chuckled and gave chase, but was no match for Yugi's superior speed and agility. The six of them quickly gave into a game of tag, with even Seth joining in as they ran and swam around the pool, laughing like lunatics.

They swam until Ra's light dimmed, the sky turning brilliant shades of red and purple. "I always thought that the sunset and sunrise looked like someone painted the sky." Atem murmured. "Perhaps someone does. What do you think?"

"It pleases the gods to make beauty in the world." Yugi replied, drying himself off and putting back on his clothes. "The sun god likes to announce his arrival and his departure."

"Hmm." Atem hummed, kissing Yugi's cheek briefly. "I love learning about your people."

"You find us fascinating." Yugi said.

"I find you fascinating." Atem replied. "And I like hearing the sound of your voice."

"I like hearing yours more." Yugi said, and then blushed. Atem chuckled. They got back to their chambers and as soon as the doors were closed Atem kissed him, long and soft. "I think I like that even more." Yugi murmured.

"Do Guardians kiss like that?" Atem asked curiously.

"Kissing is one of many ways for us to show affection." Yugi replied. "Sometimes we lick, even in our human forms, and as our animal forms we will nuzzle, groom, cuddle and lick."

"I'm sorry I cannot do that for you." Atem said.

"Don't be." Yugi said. "You are more than enough for me." He nuzzled into Atem's neck to show him that he was perfectly okay with it.

"Tell me, what kind of ceremonies do your people have, when one of you wishes to consummate a bond of marriage?" Atem asked.

"We don't really have one." Yugi replied. "Does that concern you?"

"As we are keeping this to ourselves for the moment, it does not. There are no binding rituals for me, I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something important to you that needed doing." Atem said.

"Well…" Yugi lowered his head, fidgeting. Atem was remarkably okay with a lot of his oddness due to his nature as a Guardian, but he didn't want to push things.

"Come on Yugi, you can tell me." Atem coaxed, so kind and gentle that Yugi sighed.

"In order to remind the other members of the clan that someone is mated, we rub our scents on each other, sort of, marking that they are ours and we are theirs." Yugi explained. "It tells others that they had better not touch."

"And you have not done this with me?" Atem asked.

"I would never do that without your permission." Yugi said. "I wasn't sure how you'd take it. Humans tend to take longer with this sort of thing."

"Not this human." Atem said. "I know what my heart wants." He stroked Yugi's hair. "If scent-marking me is what you do, then do it."

Yugi smiled at him and then shifted into his wolf-form. Atem knelt on the ground and Yugi rubbed himself against his mate, the oils of his skin coating him with his scent. When he was done he licked Atem on the nose and then sat on his lap, demanding ear scratches.


	13. Chapter 13

Star: I own nothing!

Jonouchi's nostrils flared as soon as he saw Atem walk by. "Yup, Yugi's marked him." He told his lover smugly. "You owe me." Seth frowned at him.

"Owe you what? You hardly have need for any extra money, you don't like jewellery and it is not up to me to make you a lord or something." Seth replied.

"I was thinking more along the lines of you have to submit to me for a night." Jonouchi replied with a roguish grin.

"Oh, well, if that's all." Seth said. "You're simply too easy to please, puppy."

"Hey, don't call me that while I'm working." Jonouchi growled. "People will start to talk."

"There's no one around." Seth pointed out.

"Just because it doesn't look like there's anyone, doesn't mean there aren't." Jonouchi replied stubbornly.

"Yes, of course." Seth said, instead of arguing. Last time he'd tried Jonouchi had told him, in excruciating detail, just what could happen to him if they were discovered. At least Seth had learned to back off when he knew he was beat. When they'd started going out, his inability to be wrong had caused more than a few fights.

"I think they were headed for the Prince's chambers, come on, let's see if Yugi will play." Jonouchi said eagerly in a whisper.

"Alright then." Seth sighed, as though it pained him to do so. Jonouchi just blew a raspberry at him and then settled into his job as bodyguard and duty as Seth's mate. No one even looked at them twice, very much used to seeing the young priest and his bodyguard one step behind him.

Seth knocked on Atem's door and they went in. As soon as the door closed behind them Jonouchi shifted into his wolf form and tackled Yugi. The two of them tumbled around, growling and snapping playfully at each other, while their mates looked on in amusement.

Yugi finally managed to pin Jonouchi down and sat on him. "You must be getting slow." Seth teased. Jonouchi growled at him and tried to squirm out from under Yugi. Unfortunately Yugi was heavier and stronger than he looked and he just grinned down at Jonouchi and then chewed on his ear.

Jonouchi shook his head and whined at Yugi. The smaller wolf huffed and got off him, trotting over to Atem and sitting on him. Jonouchi tackled Seth, rubbing his head against his fine shirt, getting golden hairs all over him.

"Knock it off, puppy." Seth said, pushing him away. Jonouchi could hear the laugh in his voice though and replied by licking Seth's face. "Gross."

Jonouchi shifted back into human. "You don't complain when that tongue is in your mouth." He said.

"It is not nearly that slobbery when it is." Seth replied.

"If you two are going to do that, you can get out of my room." Atem grumbled.

"What's the matter cousin, a little shy?" Seth taunted. "Or, jealous?"

"As if I'd be jealous of you." Atem scoffed. "After all I think I've got the cuter of our two wolves."

"More like he's got you." Jonouchi chuckled. "Congratulations on securing your position as mates."

"How did you… oh wait, you can smell it." Atem said. "Thank the gods humans can't do that."

"Yep." Jonouchi agreed. "Don't even want to think about what some of those asshole nobles would think of one of the royal family in a relationship with a lowly guard."

"Or a lowly servant." Yugi said, changing back into a human. Jonouchi could see Atem's face turning a little red. Yugi had no trouble sitting on him completely naked. While these humans didn't have much of an issue with nudity, there was only so much, especially for a male, they could take before it overloaded their brains. Yugi seemed to realize this and got up to pull on a shenti. Jonouchi tried not to laugh at the half relieved, half disappointed look on Atem's face.

"The lowly servant is only a ruse, to keep unwanted attention off you." Atem protested. "If it were up to me you'd be elevated to the state of Royal Consort, and Apep take anyone who so much as thinks of you as anything less."

"Possessive, are we, cousin?" Seth asked mildly, raising an eyebrow.

"Probably not as much as Yugi is." Jonouchi replied. "The compulsion to defend one's mate from anything… it can be a little overwhelming at times. I pity the poor girl, or boy, who tries to wiggle their way into the prince's bed."

"Many have tried, all have failed." Atem replied. "I can see manipulations a mile away and have no time for someone who is only looking to further their own agenda. What I have with Yugi is pure and simple, just the way I like it."

"Will you not have to produce an heir, though?" Yugi asked, tilting his head at him. Jonouchi could tell this was a worrying thought to him. What if Atem had to break away from him in order to do his duty?

"I do, but there's nothing against having more than one betrothed, and it would be easy enough to find a woman willing to carry my child without the added bonus of marrying me." Atem explained. "But, this is something we will figure out together." He told Yugi. "I will never allow you to be sent away. We're mates, I will not break that bond."

Yugi cuddled up to Atem, smiling. "A political marriage as opposed to a romantic marriage. Secure alliances." He murmured. "It could work, if we both liked the woman."

"Yugi would have to, otherwise his possessiveness could lead to her getting her face bitten off." Jonouchi said. "And I mean that quite literally. Having someone else's scent on you could also get you bitten as well."

"Something I think we'd both like to avoid." Atem said. "There is one who might be suitable. Princess Anzu of the Far Eastern Isles. I have met with her before, and she is a charming young lady. She's also the only one that has yet to try and seduce me while she was here. I believe her and her retinue are due for a visit soon."

"We shall have to seek her out then." Yugi said.

"You're taking this remarkably well." Seth commented.

"I knew of the possibilities." Yugi said. "I made sure I went over everything that might present a problem before deciding to go forward with asking to be Atem's mate."

"Yeah, Yugi always looks at things from every possible angle." Jonouchi said with a smile. "It's why he's so good at strategy games."

"Even with only half a human mind." Seth muttered. Jonouchi elbowed him in the ribs. Yugi just laughed at the two of them.

"Any head way with the law against enslaving non-human beings?" Jonouchi asked.

Atem sighed. "Father is trying to ease it in slowly. He wants to make sure no one suspects there being an ulterior motive to this law. If some of the council, and I and my father believe this to be true, have non-human slaves, then they will do everything they can to make sure they can keep them, including kidnapping someone we care about, and holding them hostage so that we don't pass these laws. We came very close to civil war over the abolishment of human slavery, this must be done carefully."

"Sure wish there was something we could do in the meantime." Jonouchi muttered.

"I know." Atem agreed with a sigh. "But that is politics."

"Currently the issue that the nobles are yapping about is the band of thieves that has been going around under everyone's noses." Seth said. "Only when we ask what was stolen the nobles give us half answers or clam up. Don't know what that's all about."

"Well, it smells fishy to me." Jonouchi said.

"You sure that's not your lunch you smell?" Seth replied. Jonouchi growled playfully at him. "We must be going. I have a session with my father."

"See you later Jonouchi." Yugi said as Jonouchi got up.

"Come by after dinner, we can have a game." Atem suggested. Seth nodded his head and strode from the room. Jonouchi grinned and followed at his heels.


End file.
